First look: Pensacola’s new Bayview Center

Two years after Pensacola’s Bayview Community Center was razed, a new, modern facility is on track to soon take its place in Pensacola’s historic East Hill neighborhood at Bayview Park overlooking Bayou Texar.

The longstanding former Bayview Center closed in 2014 after being flooded and was demolished the following year. The City of Pensacola is undertaking the building of a new Community Resource Center at Bayview Park.

A rendering of the new Bayview Community Resource Center. (Special to The Pulse)

Caldwell Associates Architects has been hired to plan and design the new facility and has released new renders of the planned $8.25 million replacement.

The new 19,000 square foot center will be built on the same spot as the old building and will include three community meeting rooms, a large exercise room, two small event spaces for up to 120 people each, and a catering kitchen.

A rendering of the new Bayview Community Resource Center. (Special to The Pulse)

A 5,000 square foot boathouse for storage of kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, and rowing shells is also planned. The center will be built eight feet higher than the previous building to protect against flooding, officials said.

Construction on the new community center is tentatively set to begin in March 2018, according to a schedule released by the project architect, with work expected to be completed by May of 2019.

A rendering of the new Bayview Community Resource Center showing the event space and kayak/canoe storage room. (Special to The Pulse)

3 Responses

Why can’t the architectural design reflect the history of the area? The same thing happened with the design of Legion Field’s Center. The centers are great, but please preserve the integrity of the area with appropriate historical design.

This is a copy of my post from the East Hill FB page. I certainly hope that the Caldwell can heat our thoughts.

To Mr. Caldwell, first let me say that you have a great firm and you have left a distinct mark on the Pensacola landscape. I know you’ve put a lot of time and money into the renderings and that this project can be a feather in your cap. If you are looking for feedback, please pay attention to these posts because the people within the few square miles of Bayview Park will be most affected by your design. I agree with the comments that the exterior does not fit the overall look of East Hill. The only house in EH with a similar look is 1708 Osceola. I personally think that without much in the way of a redesign, a solid mid-centrury modern look could be developed. Lose the glass tile exterior and wrap it with some natural textures. Utilizing stone and wood for the majority of the exterior would be a lot more palatable by my wonderful EH neighbors. I see how with the cantilevered roofline the building uses Frank Lloyd Wright’s Palmer House as an inspiration, but it misses the mark with the overwhelming man made steel and glass. This is why the neighbors say it resembles a Starbucks or a donut shop. Remember that vintage looks are cool again (and we aren’t talking PT Cruisers). This is only my take, but please consider why hundreds of families choose to live in East Hill. It isn’t because we want to live in Shirlington (Arlington), VA. It’s because there is an innate beauty in the simplicity of our architecture. Please, drive over to Bayview Park and walk around the perimeter. Take a photo of every house on those 3 roads and then compare it to your rendering.

This is an amazing design. This captures the essence and spirit as it transcend an almost spiritual juxtaposition between the hard rigid land and the smooth silky surface of the water. It is beautiful how the building caresses the edge of the waterfront by gently cantilevering the structure. Just like Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water this structure respects nature by balancing both the Architecture and the environment. It would be hard not to admire the beautiful lines generated by the roof as it mimics the ripples on the surface of the water. People of all ages will enjoy the large spacious views. We have been waiting for a five star design firm to inject amazing architecture in Pensacola for a long time. I’m sure that my children would be proud to call Pensacola their home. Thank you to Major Ashton Hayward for being a visionary and making this city an amazing place to live. I’m sure my children and our children’s children will be proud of all the accomplishment that we have achieved in such little time. We are proud! This defines the upside of Pensacola!

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